1. Field of Invention
The invention relates, generally, to a swing arm for a vehicle suspension and, in particular, to a swing arm for a vehicle front suspension as well as a method for manufacturing such an arm.
2. Description of Related Art
A swing arm of the above-indicated type is known from European Patent EP0794075B1. According to this known solution, the swing arm is obtained by stamping from a single sheet metal piece including a main portion which has an open section and secondary portions which have a closed section and are arranged along edge zones of the arm. The swing arm known from the aforesaid patent is manufactured by folding of the edge zones of the arm substantially along the whole perimeter of the same, with the exception of the zone of mounting of the wheel and of the zone of connection to the vehicle body, as well as of the zone of bifurcation of the transversely inner arm portion, which causes an increase in the cost of the arm, in addition to an increase in the weight of the arm with respect to an open-section stamped arm.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a swing arm for a vehicle suspension which makes it possible to reach a good compromise between the need for reducing the manufacturing costs and the weight of the arm and the need for ensuring a high stiffness of the arm.